Treatment of fibrous material and apparatus therefor.



T. J. HUTOHINSON.

ENT OF PIBROUS MATERIAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

TREATM APPLICATION FILED NOV.5, 1909.

T. J, HUTGHINSON. TREATMENT OF FIBROUS MATERIAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1909.

1,003,606, 7 Patented Sept. 19,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 or other liquid water) and fitted with suitable beaters. Thev UNITED STATES 'PA EN oFFIcE.

JTHOMASJ'AMES H U'I'GI-IINSON, OF BURY, ENGLAND.

TREATMENT 6F EIBROUS MATERIAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Ifatent. Patented Sept. 19, 1911 Application filed November 5, 1909. Serial No. 526,405.

. 5 in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Treatment of Fibrous Material and Apparatus Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of. and

apparatus for washing and otherwise simi-.

larly treating with liquids fibrous material such as bagasse which has had its paper making impurities removed from .it by a mild digestion in an alkaline solution and which material floats in water.

The object in view is to thdroughly wash the material and to deliver it from the machine in a sheet or web which is either dried in the machine or as it passes therefrom or which will subsequently easily dry. j The machine comprises two or more tanks (or compartments, hereinafter referred to as tanks) containing thewater or washing (hereinafter referred to as material is passed from one tank to another by rising or being elevated to each tank exit where squeezing rolls having rounded flutes may be placed. On its-exit from the last tank the material passes in a layer orrough sheet to or upon a longitudinally traveling endless belt or conveyer formed of laths or equivalently formed and through which any liquid may easily drain, and

which -may also be laterally vibrated or oscillated. The disposalof the fibrous material in a sheet or web of about a uniform "thickness upon this conveyer belt may be 40 facilitated by rotary boaters or pegs or as employed. From the conveyer belt the materlal may beagain passed through squeezing rollers and then be carried around steam or other heated drums for drying. The

fibrous material to be treated is preferably 5 lifted up from a drainage floor upon which it has been discharged from a digester. T-he lifting device employed may consist of an endless'traveling belt'furnished with tines or prongs and so disposed as to deliver the material from thefloor to the first tank.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one form of apparatus constructed to em bod-yj ny' improvements and will now be referred to.

Figure 1 shows the apparatus in plan.

Fig. 2 illustrates it in vertical longitudinal communicating tanks of similar construc- -t1on. These tanks-are filled tothe required Within each "tank is a level with water. rotary beater consisting of two sets or series of rounded beating arms which rotate rapidly in opposite "directions upon vertical shafts and intermesh or closely pass each other. One such set of arms in each tank is indicated by the letter B; the other set by B. The arms B are secured upon radial arms or spokes C secured 'to the vertical shaft D; the arms B are 'secured to radial spokes or arms C attached toythe tubular shaft D which rotates upon and around the shaft D. The upper ends of the shafts carry bevel wheels E E and are driven in opposite directions by the bevel wheel F mounted upon the shaft F At the exit from each tank is disposed a pair of vertically arranged squeezing or mangling rollers Gr having rounded intermeshing flutes and driven in any convenient manner, as' from the common shaft G and between which rollers the material passing from one tank to the next in the series must pass. One of the rollers G in each pair may be employed to drive the shaft F upon its own tan e At the entrance to the first or left hand tank a pair of horizontally disposed squeezing rollers G fluted like the'others are placed between which the material passing lnto the apparatus must pass. The water may be delivered t6 the tanks in any convenient manner. In the arrangement "shown each tank has its own clean water separately supplied and withdrawn from it, the method of supply being to arrange a perforated supply pipe H on the del1verys1de of the various squeezing rollers and to dellver the water in jets upon the material atthe nip of such rollers.

H is a common feed pipe by means of which water is supplied to each of the perforated pipes H. Down one side of each tank is a recess or chamber K which com- I municates with the interior of the tank through a screen or sieve K Water passes from each tank through its screen or sieve K to the chamber K. Each chamber opens 5 through an overflow opening K intoa common pipe L through which the water from ;all. the tanks is drawn off.

The squeezing rollers Get the exit ,ofthe last tank of the series differ somewhat from the others inthe series vand are 'not provided or combined with a perforated water supply p1pe. I

The. fibrous material to be treated 1s dumped on to a suitable drainage floor'not shown fromwhich it is lifted by the tines or prongs M .of the traveling endless belt M and delivered to the rollers G of the first tank. With everything operating properly suchmaterial passes down through such rollers and is subjected to the action of jets of Hwater from the pipe H. Falling or being, forced down by the continued admission bf further material the material passes under the lower edge of the partition N and is 5 engaged by the heaters B B By these beaters the material is thoroughly opened out and exposed to the action of the water, and passing upward therethrough finally reaches the nip of the rollers G disposed at p the exit 'of the first tank and between which alone it can leave the tank. These rollers continuously withdraw the washed material from the first tank and deliver it to the sec- 0nd, the material entering. the *second 'tank 5 in the same manner as it enters the first. The material is then withdrawn from the second tank in the same manner as it has already been withdrawn from the first, and enters and leaves the other tanks of the se- 40 ries in thesame manner. I

To insure the arrival of the washed material at each pair of exit nipping rollers in as uniform a sheet as possible a tray 0 may be arranged in front of each pair of rollers slightly below the nip of the rollers and below the water level indicated at X. The squeezing rollers of the last tank of the series are sodisposed'as to deliver their material to an endless belt P, which passes around the lower roller of the pair. This belt also passes around the lower roller of a further pair of squeezing rollers RI The belt is perforated, formed of laths, or otherwise formed to permit the drainage through it of any liquid remaining in the fibrous material without permitting the passage of the fibrous material, and it may be oscillated or vibrated to facilitate such drainage in the manner and by the means already known in connection with smiliar belts. The final squeezing is administered by the rollers R. During its passage along. the belt P the material has its fibers more regularly disposed, so'as to assist in the more regular same direction as but at a'higher surface formation of. the" sheet already roughly formed, by means of arotary beater or the like which consists of a small rapidly rov tating drum S having pegs or fingers S attached to its periphery, and rotating in the 0 speed than the belt and material thereon, 7 and engaging by its fingers with the fibrous material. I v From the rollers R the sheet of roughly dried material may be conveyed to steam or 'otheu heated drying rollers by and upon which it may be dried in the usual manner, or the sheets may be allowed to dry or be 'dried in any convenient way. These drying rollersare not shown as the construction and operationof such rollers is well understood. The liquid may be supplied to the tank. in any other manner than that described and illustrated. For example clean water may be supplied only to the last tank of the series and may flow from one to the other being withdrawn from the first tank only, or the first tank but one. In the latter case the first tank may have its separate Water. supply and withdrawal, and-such water may be treated for the recovery of the alkalis and' impurities removed from the fibrous material. Indeed, with any system of supply and withdrawal the water may be treated for the recoyery of anything it contains.

The'drainage fioor from which the fibrous material is taken up for the first tank may have an inclination silfiicient to cause the material to feed forward by gravity as it is taken up by the belt M, and the digester 10( or source of supply of the material be conveniently arranged and disposed above such floor. The digester is preferably of the type and disposition described in the specification to British Letters Patent No. 20268 of 1907. 101

The di fi'erent rollers, beaters, conveyers, the elevator and the other elements of the apparatus and their accessories may be constructed and operated in the well known manner and they do not need further de- 111 scription or illustration. T indicates a manhole, one of which may be placed in the cover of each tank. k ,The construction of the tanks, maybe modified from that shown in the drawings. 11: For example, the partitions N may be dlsensed with and the material pass directly rom the rollers G to the beaters, and the material from the beaters'instead of at once passing upward directly therefrom to the 121 next rollers Gr may first pass under the lower edge of a partition similar to N placed at the rear or delivery side of the tank, and then float upward to the next rollers G or be positively-withdrawn from the tank and 12 transferred upward to the rollers by a conveyer belt of a similar nature to M,

1. Apparatus for washing fibrous paper making material derived from bagasse, consisting of a series of tanks containing beating apparatus and provided with water in-- lets and outlets, and having combined with them rollers by means of which thefibrous material is fed or forced into the tanks and from one to the other and withdrawn from the last tank, all constructed arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described. a

2. The combination with a series of tanks, of rollers for feeding fibrous material into the first tank, rollers forfeeding said material from one tank to the next, rollers for withdrawing said material from the last tank, and a traveling draining belt to receive said material and form it into a. sheet, layer or web. I

d 3.- The combination with a series of tanks,

.of rollers for feeding fibrous material into the first tank, heaters in eachtank to agitate said material, rollers for feeding said material from one tank to the next, rollers for withdrawing said material from the last tank, a traveling draining belt to receive said material from the last ,set of rollers, and

the next tank adjacent to said overflow,

rollers adjacent to said overflow for feeding fibrous material from each tank to the next, and rotary bea-ters in each tank.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing, witnesses.

moms JAMES HUTCHINSON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM GEO. Hays, JOHN OCONNELL. 

